ONGOING LASA REPORT - STRATEGY ANALYSIS AUDIT - FOR ULTIMATE PROFF ONLY

Running Head: Market Position 1

Market Position 13

Market Position

Michael Sales

Argosy University Online

July 9, 2017

The Interview:

"Hello Danbert. It's nice to see you again. Were you aware that we are friends on Facebook?"

"Oh well hay man. I've been crazy famous in the UK and I have a ton of friends stemming from all that."

"You're referring to the successes of Chumba Wumba and the hit song 'Tub Thumping.'"

"Yeah I got famous and made a ton of money."

"Did you produce the latest album out of necessity for money, or was it mostly for pleasure."

"I took a fifteen year hiatus after Chumb Wumba broke up. I've had a teaching gig, and I had a star role in a motion picture. The role I played in that movie helped transform me back into the musician I am most of the time. My burnout was gone and I started really feeling the creative juices flowing. I took what I learned from dealing with my Band Chumba Wumba and formed the new band: 'The Axis of Dissent.'"

"For this assignment I'm supposed to be interviewing a corporate executive about the line of products in his or her division. Would you say you're somewhat of a corporate executive?"

"I'm under the understanding that this interview will not be disseminated to the public in any way. If it were I would have you strike that last question. Our message is largely about being green and sustainable, not giving in to corporate slavery, really having a lot of awareness about how we serve to the top 1%, and being an activist against wars funded by our government at the benefit of corporations. So no, I'm not like a corporate executive. I'm a band leader with a message to deliver."

"But you lead a band with fifteen members, worked deals with three different record labels on your latest album – one of which is EMI Music Publishing in Germany, and no doubt collaborated in many other ways."

"I see where you're going. The music business venture I run sort of makes me into a corporate exec. Yeah, I wear a lot of different hats.

"The concept art you published on Facebook for the latest album isn't anywhere to be seen on that album. I loved the frozen river Island concept with you as some sort of a King holding up signage. It's not on the CD version I got from you."

"That concept art was targeted at my local following here in the Methow Valley. I live in the outskirts of Twisp, and the locals know that had the photo taken on the Twsip River that runs through my property."

"Do you feel any need for change in your business' climate?"

"There are three things I'm always focusing on at any given moment. I need to create fresh new material, I need a system for refining the material into songs that will catch on, and I need to find better ways to get the music out there. Did you notice that along with having my CD for sale, that I also had a leaflet? The leaflet is for people that don't have $15 for an album or are undecided. The leaflet has high-resolution artwork, information about the bands general messages, the topic and moods of certain songs on the album, and information about the band members themselves. So I can at least gain in popularity without actually taking someone's money at a ranch party."

"That was a great party, but the roast pork was terrible."

"Yeah, I know. I think the seasoning they used was rancid."

"When you talk about targeting a certain market you sound like a corporate executive. Do you have a marketing consultant?"

"Verbal Burlesque Records handles my publicity. I have a full time publicist. That person really works out to be like a administrative assistant. They help be editing my message and plan my schedule."

"Your latest hit of off your new album is quite catchy. It's played at the radio station where I work part time, and the video for that song queue's up quite regularly there on the big screen. It's a professional video that I would say has good appeal. Elaborate on YouTube and how it is monetized for content creators."

"There is a big trend that sees people song surfing on YouTube. They may listen for hours at a time. A lot of artists are monetizing their music with videos that are authorized for YouTube corporate advertising. We have an anti corporate message and we can use YouTube to pull at our CD sales, so we have opted out of the advertising monetization with YouTube. Honestly it's a necessity for young artists though. Record labels are folding up all the time, and most artists are struggling financially. People in the industry are trying to draw people away from YouTube, and YouTube might not always be free."

"It'll be interesting to see what unfolds."

"Yes it will."

"Do you think the lyric: 'Capitalist must die' in the song 'To Be Or Not To Be' is a bit extreme? Are you proposing that people loose their love of free market systems all together?"

"That's a difficult question. The band wanted to send a message, and this is what the collective of 15 people in the band had to say. I have to treat my people well. I don't want to deal with high attrition in my band."

"What do you do to create brand loyalty?"

"I always try to provide a better experience than my competition. My mobile sound stage is state of the art. I only work with the best pros in the business. My latest album has 16 tracks. I'm lucky to have the Chumba Wumba/Tub Thumping notoriety behind me. I've built up a brand name for myself. I'll mention the old Chumba Wumba days often when I'm posting as Danbert Nobacon on the web."

"That's quite a few songs compared to the competition. What else are you doing to differentiate yourself"

"I moved to this small community because I wanted to get away from all the electricity and be in the snow. I didn't know how long I'd stay. As it turns out this area has been very nurturing for me and great for my image."

"Is the music industry changing?"

"Our music on the latest album is available in over 60 places on the Internet. It has to be that way these days. Everything is monetized whether it's free streaming, paid streaming, downloading MP3s, or physical distribution of a CD. On some of the platforms we have to accept a lower rate of compensation. Have you noticed how many music stores have closed down over the last twenty-five years?"

"Yes. I can't even think of a store anywhere in my neck of the woods. What do you do in the face of stiff competition?"

"I use social media. I'm not a social-media wiz by any means, but I often take the opportunity to state my stance on a crucial political issue at the time. My stances are worded longer than most of what you read. That's so that my potential fans can engage with me for longer periods of time, if they choose. They can tune out if the message seems to long, and that doesn't hurt my image."

"What else are you doing to give your customers something they really value? Nothing beats a catchy love song. People might not even realize it's a love song. I'm mixing up the selection on my albums so theirs pop, folk, and even some big-beat rocketronic – although I want to emphasize that all our music comes from real talented musicians. The music doesn't come from a box."

"What do you do to minimize the number disappointed customers?"

"I have an extensive live performance schedule. Whether I'm at a major exhibition hall or sitting playing a guitar at a books store, people have a chance to know more about me and hear the music in advance to buying it. We work hard at getting on as many radio stations as possible. I have a guy that drives around in a little full time electric car giving demos to radio DJs."

"This is the last question Mr. Nobacon. Are any of your record labels incorporated?"

"I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that my answer might tend to incriminate me."

"There you have it folks. That ends my interview with the tremendously talented and entertaining Mr. Danbert Nobacon."

"Thanks Michael. It was a pleasure meeting with you today."

PART II:

The Analysis:

Target Customers:

Danbert is aiming to provide entertaining music for a wide range of people including those that enjoy pop, folk, and other stuff that's heavier in bass. His target audience is also disgruntled with the percentages of poor and middle class as compared to the ultra rich 1%. His target audience is also very pro green and ecofriendly. His lyrics literally say keep the oil in the ground, however Mr. Nobacon drives a nice shiny new SUV. To give his some credit it may be a Hybrid. The per album cost of $17.89 is a pretty common price. That ratio to customers who are more satisfied may be higher due to Mr. Nobacon's careful marketing practices and the hard work he puts into "Real" music and performances.

N. Hunter writes nearly all the lyrics on the new album, Stardust To Darwinstuff. The exception being lines from Hamlet by William Skakespear, Inferno by Dante Alighieri, The Masque of Anarchy by Percy Bysshe Shelley, and The Outline of History by H.G. Wells, This is something I did not know, and now I'm wondering if Nobacon is as talented as I thought.

There is a ten-paragraph statement by the artist on CD Universe. I'm assuming this is Nobacon talking, as I am familiar with his chosen topics and emphasis. Here is a two-paragraph excerpt:

"And yet our industrial machinery and bombs can tear up an ecosystem in a matter of minutes and hours, visiting devastation on our landscapes and extinction upon an escalating number of our fellow species. Whilst we have been lurching towards the precipice for the past few decades, it has never been more apparent that our human condition requires something extraordinary of us if we ourselves are to survive as a species.

The dangers are ever more pressing as President Trump seeks to expand fossil fuel extraction anywhere and everywhere, at the same time as defunding climate science and environmental protections. Moreover, this comes packaged with the outright lie that such budget cuts are necessary to increase spending on a US military that is 'falling behind,' when in fact the US war machine has long been, and by far, the most over armed and destructive capability the planet has ever seen. In the coming months 'we the people' of the US will need to continue to evolve as bedrock of resistance to prevent President Trump's executive orders becoming our daily reality. And, as 'we the people', wherever we are on the planet, connected by our fragile atmosphere, and in the cause of a fairer, more sustainable existence, we will need to stand with those peoples who resist and refuse to be bowed by the planetary hegemony of this 'American way of doing business," (CD Universe, 2017, para 10 -11).

Nobacon goes on to bash Trump and talk global politics and science in his artist statement.

Nobacon has a generous press release that was published in The Wenatchee World newspaper and online newspaper. North West Music Scene also has a write up that says his newest album is packed with "Political Punch." The Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #585,193 Paid in Albums (See Top 100 Paid in Albums) and #63057 in Digital Music > Albums > Pop. The current Amazon selection is for that of over 180,000 artissts and 29.1 million songs. Danbert does not have physical distribution of the latest album on Amazon.com at this time.

From what I have gathered via the interview, it is evident that Stardust to Darwinstuff is creating an emotional bondage, while at the same time he is targeting his audiences correctly. Danbert seems to be focusing on social media marketing. If you check out the YouTube video for the song Stardust to Darwinstuff, you can get a good feel for his performance style, lyrics, music style, and see first hand a great video as a part of a excellent YouTube marketing strategy (YouTube, 2017).

With great coverage in the social media spectrum, Nobacon does better with Facebook than any other platform with 1,962 friends. We didn't discuss whether he boosts his posts with financial investment with Facebook or if he has multiple pages perhaps for the band and the album specifically. I did find his musician page and he has 542 followers on that page, which is how the boosts take place if one decides to do them. Just my the miniscule number of likes on his posts, I'd say he isn't boosting.

I'm not sure how many places online Danbert's newest album is really available online. I think he needs to invest in some search engine optimization. His Facebook page only mentions one live performance, but I know he's done many more. I don't think he is as devoted to Facebook as he says he is.

Requirements of Customers:

Nobacon was pretty specific in addressing his targeted consumers. The most active rebels tend to be a younger crowd that hate Trump, demand green social responsible everything, and hate the top 1% with a passion are on his map. Just a quick download or a quick YouTube play and you're seeing the number one song on his album. That's pretty good marketing, although I think I'm doing better with the marketing of my own album. I'm not getting better numbers, I'm just in more places with more options for monetization of the Internet usage.

Customer Satisfaction:

When I asked Nobacon about his methods of satisfying his customers, he mentioned that he covered a full spectrum of issues that activists will jump on a bandwagon for. He seems to be sincere in his presentation. His potential followers would be quick in sniffing this out if it weren't true. At $9.49 for a CD download, and $0.99 for a song download, he is priced just like nearly every other artist out there.

Product Position:

The major problem is that there may not be enough hits on his album to generate large sales. His "Hit" as I am calling it is nowhere near as popular as his Tub Thumping from his Chumba Wumba days. If he's buying songs already, perhaps he should invest in a higher percentage of

top-notch material.

Competitive Analysis:

In a later conversation with Nobacon, he wasn't very concerned about the level of competition or differentiation because the genres in music are blended to a high degree now. It seems he's relying on the same themes and slogans that made Chumba Wumba successful, but that was fifteen years ago.

As far as selling art in general, music may be the easiest way to generate the highest royalties of any other venture. That's just a estimation I have with my own experience in selling photo art, books, and my own CD. The investment in marketing services can be low to none the way the market is set up now, even though big record label deals are becoming less of a goal.

We didn't talk about his percentages on royalties with his band members. Splitting things 15 different ways at the moment seems like it could be quite restricting. However, if he is relying more on other talent at this time, like he said – they need to be compensated well.

Competitive Advantage and Sustainability:

Currently he is still enjoying a pull on his product through his old Chumba Wumba/Tub Thumping fame. Look that one up on YouTube too if you get the chance. Being remotely located with a limited budget means Nobacon isn't reallhy performing outside Washington State. Here in Twisp he's a household name, but have you heard of him all the way out there in Athens, Alabama? Many of his old fans are in Europe. He did use a German record label for part of the production.

Currently his video is creating a stir. It's coming up on my YouTube all the time because I searched for it in the past. This type of YouTube inner workings can play out well for him with anyone who searches for him. It would have been nice to talk figures more with Nobacon, as there is a large Internet blackout currently for Mr. Danbert Nobacon.

PART III:

Matrix:

	Nobacon	Daniel Powter	The Calling	Dream
Price	2	2	2	2
Effect of Antics	1	2	2	1
Quality of Lyrics	2	2	2	1
Breadth of Products	1	0	0	0
Brand	2	2	2	2
Accessibility	1	2	2	1
Diversity	1	2	1	2
Fun and entertainment	2	2	2	2
Emotional value	1	2	2	1

References

Amazon.com. (2017). Stardust to Darwinstuff. Retrieved July 9, 2017, from https://www.amazon.com/Stardust-Darwinstuff-Explicit-Danbert-Nobacon/dp/B071XR3K6B/ref=sr_1_2?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1499651805&sr=1-2-mp3-albums-bar-strip-0&keywords=Danbert+Nobacon+%26+The+Axis+of+Dissent

CD Universe. (2017). Stardust to Darwinstuff CD. Retrieved July 9, 2017, from http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=10780861&style=music&fulldesc=T

Facebook. (2017). Danbert Nobacon Cover Photo. Retrieved July 9, 2017, from https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10212135268965266&set=a.10200708208055885.205565.1482007373&type=3

YouTube. (2017). Stardust to Darwinstuff. Retrieved July 9, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KhyC73Gg8k